In late February the province of Ontario’s legislature issued a denunciation of IAW. Progressive Conservative party legislator Peter Shurman, its promoter, stated:

The term Israeli Apartheid Week incites hatred against Israel, a democratic state that respects the rule of law and human rights, and the use of the word “apartheid” in this context diminishes the suffering of those who were victims of a true apartheid regime in South Africa.

The motion received unanimous support from all sitting members of the provincial parliament (MPPs), including — and this surprised many Canadians — members of the staunchly socialist New Democratic Party (NDP), perennial scourge of the powerful and unconditionally supportive shoulder to the “oppressed,” including well-known terror-dealing grievance collectors.

The NDP’s elected members’ views on the Middle East range from merely hostile to virulently anti-Israel. So if provincial NDPers felt free to join in this motion, then the denunciation was not an aberration, but an indicator that the times they are a-changin’ in Ontario, Canada’s bellwether province.

In May, the Liberal premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, will lead a trade mission to Israel, the first Ontario leader to do so since 1998, a move that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago for any politician in that ultra-liberal province.

Not to be outdone, Michael Ignatieff, leader of the federal Liberal Party, the official government opposition, declared that IAW “should be condemned unequivocally and absolutely.”

Perhaps all these gestures reflect a cascade phenomenon rolling down from the summit. Last week in Ottawa, the nation’s capitol, Conservative MP Tim Uppal affirmed that he would be introducing a motion declaring “that this House considers itself to be a friend of the State of Israel; that this House is concerned about expressions of anti-Semitism under the guise of ‘Israel Apartheid Week’; and that this House explicitly condemns any action in Canada as well as internationally that would equate the rejected and racist policy of apartheid.”

To cap it all, on February 12, in connection with the ominous approach of Iran’s nuclear weaponization, Junior Foreign Affairs Minister Peter Kent stated: “Prime Minister Harper has made it quite clear for some time now and has regularly stated that an attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada.” In terms of support for Israel, it doesn’t get friendlier than that.

Perhaps I am over-optimistic in extrapolating a verdant spring from these elegantly swooping swallows, but I don’t think so. There are pendulum swings in all historical trends, and I believe we are witnessing one here in Canada.

Apart from rabid anti-Semites and true politicopaths, there would be a natural limit to how many times even the most “progressive” amongst our left-leaning elites can listen to the same frothing-at-the-mouth diatribes against Israel, the same demonstrably odious canards of “apartheid,” “terror state,” and “Nazis” leveled against a demonstrably democratic state, without feeling intellectually soiled by their complicity with the evil of anti-Semitism demonstrably fueling the IAW phenomenon.

One senses an air of the general public being fed up, causing a trickle-down of self-doubt to circulate among the reflexively Israel-bashing herd of political correctniks. One feels a turning in the zeitgeist, the dawning realization even among the dullest-witted sympathizers of the Palestinians that their so-called anti-Zionist militants in the IAW movement, who have never been at pains to disguise the anti-Semitism driving their political campaign, are finally becoming an embarrassment to their rank-and-file leftist shills.

Clinging to their tattered rags of political dignity, IAW’s erstwhile useful idiots are beginning to tire of dancing like trained monkeys to their zealous organ-grinder’s grotesque polka: “It’s about Israel, not Jews.” Fewer and fewer passers-by are attentive to that superannuated jingle, or throwing even small change into that rusty tin cup.

As a conservative Canadian of a certain age, I am habituated to a longstanding tradition of Canadian political reticence, even timidity, where support for Israel is concerned, and equally accustomed to witnessing frequent American boldness in beating against the current of political correctness in openly standing by Israel through tough times.

Today, a little confused, I must confess I am having difficulty adjusting to the new reality of Canadian leadership eclipsing America’s on the Israel file. I have rubbed my eyes a few times, but there they are: Canadian political leaders at the podium, wearing the gold medal for courage, integrity, and good judgment, and for this brief, shining moment at least, history is playing the Canadian national anthem.

Barbara Kay is a weekly columnist in the comment pages of Canada’s National Post newspaper.

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1.
westerncanadian

Barbara I sure hope that you are right. I was at the Olympics in Vancouver and in Whistler. With pure merriment the people took charge of the games from the official organisers and stuffed energy and life into every part of the games.

As with the Olympics, maybe ordinary Canadians have decided to take charge of this IAW bullshit and blow a giant and merry raspberry at it. Politicians look for public mood waves that they can surf to gain votes. Maybe (fingers crossed) they can see an anti IAW wave. To his credit, Stephen Harper has been a consistent friend to Israel. Maybe the public has reacted positively to his stance persuading other politicians to ride on the same bus.

Academics (with notable exceptions blah blah blah) are wet noodles and about all you can do is pour sauce over them.

As a westerner, the notion that Ontario represents Canada induces derisive laughter; but hey, you live around there somewhere so maybe you have some secret knowledge that I don’t.

Thank you for a good article. It is especially encouraging to hear about people with backbone speaking out against diabolical antisemitism in public. The information about who these people are is also useful for one to be able to actively follow and support them.

” At pro-Israel events, where anti-Israel violence or threat of violence invariably necessitates tough security, costs are higher, and therefore pro-Israel organizers must pay for the necessary additional security.”

The conclusion here is obvious: nothing succeeds like violence. Every year that governments do little or nothing about Leftist-Muslim-Nazi violence makes the possibility of similar violence from Christians, Jews, and democrats more likely. I’m sure any outbreak of violence by Jews (especially) and anyone else defending themselves will not be tolerated by the Canadian government, which knows where its true interests lie.

Congratulations to those who are finally, after these many years of remaining silent in the face of looming horror, showing genuine backbone and decency.

A trend? Hmmm. It’s late.

They’ve allowed their children to revel in evil unabated for a long time now.

The wisdom of “nipping in the bud … before” … has become obsolete, out of timidity, I guess — until gross shame eventually is unavoidable by those who are fundamentally decent and it leads to action.

Late. Too late? No way to know.

Hatred and the thrill of a false and growing sense of power that comes with the act of intimidation — and the intoxication of acting out without restraint or censure –become addictive and entrenched after time. Once this has firm footing, it’s usually stopped only by an equal or greater showing of force — or a recognition of utter defeat.

Let’s not forget that Canada was the first country to announce it was boycotting the UN’s Conference on Racism (aka Durban II). The US (under Obama) insisted on engaging until the last minute. As expected, the Conference turned into another “bash Israel” hate fest.

The Conservatives, especially under Harper, have shown they can still tell the good guys from the bad. Even the country’s historically liberal Jewish voters (sound familiar?) have noticed, and are trending Conservative. But one thing Canada hasn’t done is connect the growing anti-Israel sentiment to recent Arab and Muslim immigration. It is the latter who are providing the critical mass for this festival of hatred against Jews and Israel. If they want to avoid Europe’s fate, that needs to be addressed.

What is deplorable is the silence at the universities when anti-semitism is exhibited. An example of that was when the Israeli Ambassador to the US was shouted down by a small, very loud, and persistent group of Muslim students. Absolutely disgusting! And to my knowledge the university in question did little or nothing to strongly condemn this behavior. Good that Canada is taking a stand against the hatred that is being seen. And shame on us here in the US that we don’t hold more people accountable for their hateful actions.

Question: Miss Kay, you state on page 1 of your excellent article: “…York canceled a pro-Israel IAW event…” Is that correct? Did the IAW actually schedule a pro-Israel event? I’m a bit confused. Can you explain?

As a Canadian it is disconcerting to view what is happening at our so-called institutions of higher learning. Sadly, many of the teaching staff including Jewish profs, are in concert with the organizers of this trash. The alumni should protest by withholding their donations to those who participate; money still speaks. The US is not immune as I just viewed a video of the farce at UCC Irvine on the occasion of the Israeli ambassador trying to speak. Why does no one have an”Anti-Islamic Terrorism and Barbarism Week”?

Most Canadians, excluding Liberal and NDP politicians and their voice, CBC/Pravda, have long been sick of the Trudeaupian version of multiculturalism. It’s taken our ruling class a while to catch on. The opposition is still trying to embarrass the P.M. over the alleged mistreatment of Afghan “detainees” by other Afghans. Again, most Canadians do not share these sympathies.

Thanks to Harper and his conservative government. Without a majority, he is slowly restoring some common sense and not playing to the political correctness we have had so long in Canada. Waiting for the day he hits a majority and can really accomplish some great reversals of the never ending socialism.

“” With …. fourteen gold medals to (America’s athletes’) nine, Canadian (nationals) are relishing their moment in the sun. “”

1. Before its politicizing and prostitution the Olympic Games was about individual achievement. Since it lost that and its Euro-weenie “management” spiraled it into the squalor reminiscent only of the definitive corruption that marks every aspect of the Euro-peons’ Neo-Soviet, (or the Canadians’) the Olympic Games has been rendered irrelevant in the scheme of things;

Since when is being anti-semite by criticizing Israel for killing around 1400 (mostly innocent children, women, men) and using white phosphorus on densely populated civilian areas in the open-air prison Gaza?

No, Matt, you’ve got it wrong. All 1400 were innocent children. Toddlers if I recall correctly. And then we’re not even counting the bunnies, puppies, and kitties gunned down in cold blood in the open-air, seaside resort of Gaza!!!!!

When you refuse to condemn Arab nations for the atrocities they commit against their own people (including in Jordan and Egypt’s case the Palestinians); when you refuse to condemn Chinese human rights violations far worse than those occurring in democratic Israel; when you don’t devote to the dangers of Iranian and Pakistani Islamist fundamentalism even a tenth of the amount of attention given to supposed Israeli violations; when you refuse to discuss the horrible things the Palestinian leadership does to both Israelis and their own people…then it’s anti-semitic to criticize Israel.

My niece attends University of Toronto where the dorms or chock-full of pro-gay and gay-tolerant flyers and posters. Every door has them, as do the bulletin boards outside the dorms. I visited her last night and did not see ONE pamphlet condeming the Anti-Apartheid hate-fest.

Who funds IAW? Would it be Saudi Arabia and The Muslim Brotherhood? Would it or could it be the New Israel Fund has some links to this bizarre show of odious hatred? I especially scratch my head when people claiming they are Jews support IAW.. but then again, did you know there were Jews who voted Hitler into power? Thank goodness for our Canadian democracy these few disconnected Jews and others can voice opinions – however vile it may sound to the rest of us. Claims have been made Israelis, during Cast Lead went into Gaza and killed innocent Palestinians. That is always sad, but those morons who only point the finger at Israel, never once said to their own.. “Stop aiming missiles at innocent Israelis” Therefore IAW is a lie a hateful lie.. and stop blaming Israeiis for defending themselves. Every nation on earth would have done the same and much sooner had they been attacked.

Politicians are slippery b…….s. Meanwhile the Liberal and NDP leaders that BK lauds are also taking the side of the Israel haters in Canada’s so-called “Rights and Democracy” agency/bureaucracy that is in the midst of a tussle over control, while denouncing the Conservatives’ choice for a new head at R&D because he has spoken out against the large number of Muslim immigrants in Quebec who are not always keen to fit in. Meanwhile, the Liberal and NDP leaders have done nothing to call out and denounce the growing Islamist presence in their membership.

Glass half-full? I hope so but we have a lot of work to do yet if we want to protect the Western idea of free societies.

Oh don’t worry, my friends. I do not single out Israel only. I’m as much a critic of other oppressive governments/ theocracies and injustice. But i’m against treating Israel with velvet gloves because they’re definitely no angels. Please watch that documentary I posted above.

It’s time to stop only blame the arabs for everything in the middle east too. And please stop using the “anti-semite”-label every, every time Israel is being criticized for it’s treatment of Palestinians.

Since Israel isn’t perfect, not all criticism of Israel is anti-semitic. For example, it used to be more socialist than it is now and I didn’t like that. When the criticism of Israel is only about its Jewishness then it is anti-semitic.

Other stuff isn’t as clear because it’s easy to dress anti-Jew, anti-Chinese, anti-Indian or for that matter, anti-American criticism, in the clothes of some other cause.

As for supporting the existence of Israel. For me, a world with Israel is a better place than a world without Israel.

Matt, I suggest that you watch something other than a documentary made by John Pilger who has a long history of anti-Israel animus. It will hardly be objective, therefore, will it? If you’re such a critic, then go to Israel and see for yourself how this tiny, vibrant country, with a population of over 20% of Arab Israelis, has absorbed even more thousands of Darfuris, Eritraeans, Ethiopians, Ghanaians, Nigerians… Hardly an ‘Apartheid’ country, would you say? You should also know that Israeli Arabs have full equality. There is Gay Pride every year and a full and free press. Were the Gazans prepared to make a realistic peace with Israel and not continue with their nihilistic desire to eradicate Israel and pursue simply warlike pursuits, then there would be no need for wars, walls nor checkpoints. Consider that.

To those reading this blog entry by Barbara (belated Purim greetings), I invite them to check out this blog: http://www.reutrcohen.com

I seem to recall a saying about stones and glass houses.

For, the IAW crowd is very convincing that they do not want to know about people such as the Beduin Sheikh Salam al-Hoziel, Wafa Sultan, Bat Yeor, Walid Shoebat, Nonie Darwish, Zuhdi Jasser, Tawfik Hamid, Dr. Mordechai Kedar, et al.

I’m waiting for the Canadian universities to hold a Jordan Apartheid week. Jordan will not allow Jews to become citizens or own land. Or what about a Saudi Arabia Apartheid Week? In addition to banning Jews, the Arabians don’t like Christians either. But I bet we’ll have to wait a long time to see those kinds of protests.

Matt: When women/gays/minorities are given equal rights under the law in ANY Arab/Moslem country as they are in Israel, then you can spew your propaganda all you want. Until then, go to Israel and see with your own eyes the reality of what is going on.

You’re not being singled out for being selective in your criticism, Matt, but only for being a liar. And yes, we should all place great credence in a cute video from master propagandist and serial falsifier Pilger. Righto, chappie!

it seems that either you believe in western civilization’s values or you don’t. either you believe in humanism and progress and individuality and equitable justice and debate and the marketplace of ideas and productive, innovative societies or you don’t.

if you don’t support the west, you support the despotic oily barbarous greed and human slavery of the arab world and its perverted, nazi-like islamic underpinnings, its blood libels and sickening medieval atrocities.

I’m surprised Ms.Kay praises Michael Ignatieff for saying that IAW “should be condemned unequivocally and absolutely.” Is this the same Michael Ignatieff who wrote in The Guardian (April 19,2002) that the West Bank was “a Bantustan, one of those pseudo-states created . . . to keep the African population under control.” Just asking.

Nice job of selective editing. You have manipulated the data so that it would arrive at the conclusion you wanted it to arrive at.
You arrived at this conclusion before you even saw the data.

As long as you, and those you speak for, are willfully ignorant of the people I pointed to in point 25, then frankly you will have given a contemporary display of Shakespeare’s quote, “Sound and fury, signifying nothing”.

To further correct anti-Israel bias among politicians, I say we follow the example of UK “Liberal Democrat party leader Nick Clegg has sacked controversial peer Baroness Jenny Tonge as his health spokeswoman in the House of Lords after she suggested last week that Israel set up an inquiry if it wants to refute allegations that its medical teams in Haiti “harvested” organs of earthquake victims.”

Can you link us to all your posts decrying Israel’s enemies, most of which are bloody abominable human rights hellholes like Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia? Or are you just another hypocritical Jew-baiting POS?

I will sponsor any hispanic or other non-islamic illegal alien into citizenship if he or she feels umbrage at the bastardization of the classic “illegal alien crossing” traffic sign and arse-whips any Palestian who demonstrates with that sign (as seen in the photo accompanying the article).

Arab apartheid / Muslim apartheid are the largest ‘apartheid systems’, that exist today. All non-Arabs and/or non-Muslims are second class citizens. Among minorities that feel the wrath of the bigoted Arab-Muslim world are:

* Berbers (native N. Africans, before Arab invasion).
* Copts (indigenous Egyptians suffer from both: Arab racism and Islamic bigotry).
* Kurds (Examples include: [Saddam's] Iraq and Syria.
* Blacks, in Arab lands or in Arab ruled Africa like the genocide in the Sudan and slavery in both Sudan and in Mauritania.
* Asians, particularly in the Gulf Arab states. [Sex slaves or "plain" slaves).
* Maronites-Christians [Native Lebanese] suffer from both Arab ethnic racism and religious bigotry, like the massacres in the 1970s by local Muslims and by Palestinian/Syrian forces.
* Assyrians, are/have been being persecuted both racially and religiously. Still very much marginalized in Iraq, for example.
* Iran is not an Arab country but racism is huge against Kurds, Jews, Turkmens, etc. So is anti-non-Muslim bigotry against Christians, Bahai, Zoroastrians and other in the Islamic republic.
* Turkey is also a Muslim non-Arab country and Kurds, Greeks, Armenians and other ethnicities have been through much suffering, genocide. Still there’s great wide racism against non-Turkish ethnic groups. Turkey’s policy in Cyprus has also been recognized as a real Apartheid by many. All non-Muslims are automatically branded as “foreigners” at the “moderate” Islamic supremacy of Turkey.
* Al-Akhdam in Yemen.
* Gypsies in Jordan.

—

From anti-Jewish Apartheid:

- The Arab racist apartheid against the Jews attempted genocide ever since the 1920s, (Like Mufti of “Palestine at his incited massacres, and Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood who called simply ‘to kill Jews’).
- Chased out a Million Jews in the late 1940.
- Has boycotted and demonized [every logical defensive action is branded "racist"] the Jewish democratic-free-equal-to-all state only because it’s the “other”. It is neither Muslim nor Arabs.
- The Arab racist world continues to play with Arab-Palestinians (grandchildren of Arab immigrants) like ping-pong against Israel.

—

AND THE BEACON OF APARTHEID HAS THE AUDACITY TO CHARGE MULTI-RACIAL ISRAEL’S BEAUTIFUL DEMOCRACY [THAT OFTEN GIVES PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR ITS ARABS OVER JEWS] WITH THIS TERMINOLOGY?

As if we don’t know the ‘Arab oil lobby’s power’ over the UN, other major international organizations and some African officials to go along with the Arab propaganda.

Despite some non-Arabs who jump on this wagon out of: ignorance, of confusion complex, or of sheer bigotry, never forget, that this entire “apartheid, racism” label was invented by Arab racists ganging up in the UN since 1975.

Even promoter of the apartheid-slur J. Carter admitted on CNN: “I recognize that Israel is a wonderful democracy with freedom of speech and equality of treatment under the law between Arab Israelis and Jewish Israelis.” http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0612/12/acd.02.html

Incidentally, the lying Pallywood machine also created a fake “memorandum” claiming that N. Mandela ever uttered this crappy analogy.

Last but not least:

Isn’t it true that the anti-Jewish “apartheid” slur campaign is: 1) to demonize Jews and 2) to hide the real apartheid practice by the Arab-Islamic world?